How Our Activism Has Become a Rigged Game of Three-Card Monte
Somehow the oppressors have turned unity into a trigger concept
I'm tired of having to block three potential allies every day because they hit me with a tirade of profanities rather than questions. I get that everyone is on edge, but I am not your enemy.
Do you want me to spell it out for you. Here you go:
I want you to have affordable healthcare.
I want your kids to get a free education.
I want you to be able to buy a house.
I am not the person who is holding you back. I am not responsible for the low wages you get paid. I'm not the reason why you always get passed over for a promotion.
Instead, I'm the guy who will pull over to help out if your car breaks down. Can everybody take a deep breath please? I get that everyone is anxious and frustrated, but if you lash out at the people who come to help, you only make things worse.
The way I see it, a big part of the problem is that our media isn't even attempting to go through the motions of being fair. They deliberately misinterpret every event, and use it to cast blame on the innocent even as they sing the praises of the malicious.
The reason they are able to do this is because we have three voter groups rather than two. If we only had two, perhaps it wouldn't be so easy to manipulate us. But we have three, so we're all condemned to this enormous game of three-card monte.
Who are the groups?
Those who vote blue
Those who vote red
Those who don't vote
What do these groups want?
That's the tragic part. They all want the exact same thing.
Now listen, I get it. It doesn't seem like that could be true, but it is. The problem is that a large number of our voters have been indoctrinated with fearmongering that has convinced them to think the only safety lies in authoritarianism. I don't agree with them. But this all gets easier if you understand what motivates them.
The problem is that the people who want decisions to be made based on reason rather than rage or fear can't seem to get enough support. This naturally leads to frustration.
One response to this frustration is that politicians are inclined to blame the voters when they lose. “If people are too stupid to vote for me, then they deserve what they get.”
But the thing is, the politicians who say things like this get to go home to their mansions and their inflated quality of life after the election. Meanwhile, their supporters begin to die because they’re stripped of their healthcare and financial support.
Saying, “the voters are to blame” represents a failure to learn and improve after a loss.
They’re not saying, “What can I do better?”
They’re saying, “I’m already perfect, so the problem must be you.”
It's not reasonable.
I think it's largely because of this attitude that we end up with the group of non-voters. The way the non-voters look at it, we have one group that's committed to chaos, one group that's committed to losing (which refuses to change), and a final group that wants reason but finds it's not on the menu.
Meanwhile, the media exacerbates the whole thing by shifting the cards around and always making it seem like the card we need isn't even on the table.
We're spun in circles while the oligarchs who run everything chortle to themselves.
This is one of those games where the only way to win is not to play. What that means is we have to stop responding to our situation using the same old tactics that have never worked before.
Lately, I'm seeing the same old tired lectures of “there is never going to be a perfect candidate, so you need to shut up and get behind the person we give you.”
I think that argument, all by itself drives a wedge into the coalition we need before it even starts to form. The other side of this argument is that there's never going to be any “perfect” activism. We need to ramp up our tolerance and recognize how many people out there are potential allies.
There are a lot more than you realize. The problem is that all three groups currently have certain ideas and personalities that they insist cannot be questioned. We have to be able to question everything. More importantly, we must all find a greater commitment to spreading a message of unity.
What I propose is that we dismantle the rigged game of three-card monte. All complex tasks become more manageable when you break them down to their component parts. The problem we're having now is that we're trying to apply a universal message to three wildly different groups.
Instead of doing that, we must first recognize who we're talking to and then adapt our message accordingly.
Here's what I'd say to modern politicians.
LISTEN to the people who don’t vote.
EDUCATE the people who vote red.
WORK FOR all voters instead of just donors and supporters.
And never be dismissive of the hardships the American people face.
The next time you come across a comment or an article that you feel inclined to rebuke, stop for a moment and reflect on which of the three groups the author is in. Then, frame your argument so it's more effective based on what that group needs to hear.
The pause you take will allow you to choose words of reason rather than words that are just a response to an external frustration.
Remember, there are three groups! Both the media and many of our political leaders like to represent our reality as a binary system. It's easy to hide the money card when you've convinced the mark to believe there are only two cards on the table.
Yes, it's true that when you try to educate red voters, some of them will summarily reject you.
Yes, it's true that when you try to convince non-voters to participate, some of them will decline.
But, if you stop assuming everyone who doesn't agree with you is “an enemy,” you'll moderate your own words in a way that will bring you much more success.
There's no such thing as “perfect” activism. Not everyone you talk to will align with your beliefs exactly. When faced with disagreement, take a step back and see if you can bridge the divide between your group and theirs.
The sad fact is that there are absolutists in all three groups. The American public is getting played like a bunch of suckers on the street. The good news is we don't have to take it anymore.
Don't play by the rules of the oppressors. It's almost as if they've turned the idea of unity into a trigger concept. It doesn't have to be.
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Walter,
From my perspective, we need ranked-choice voting to get people involved.
The 2 party system is not in the US Constitution. It makes decisions binary. "You're either with us or against us."
Unfortunately, the presidency is in the US Constitution. In a nation that considers itself "Divinely (Christian version) inspired," (a common theme on the Fourth of July).
Most stable democracies are parlimentary systems.
Some have kept a symbolic king. The last Norwegian king who actually ruled like one was King Harald, known as Hardrodda (hard ruler) Who tried to take England from the north weeks before William attacked from Normandy, but miscalculated and was killed in battle.
That was in 1066. The end of the Viking era.
Beginning of the Crusades, which are still marching on.
Fred
"I get that everyone is anxious and frustrated, but if you lash out at the people who come to help, you only make things worse."
It's always fun and games until someone loses an eye.